Vayera 5782

Question: Yishmael is not mentioned by name once in the story of his expulsion from Avraham’s home. Why?


Approach: Perhaps the important aspect for us to realise is that the whole event was nothing to do with ישמעאל per se, but rather to distance all negative, and non-direct family (i.e. from שרה) aspects from יצחק. As such, it doesn't matter who the expelled son was in and of himself.

Comments

  1. Avi Noam Taub - TFE Owner21.10.21

    Just thinking out loud here, but maybe it's to show that the true fault here is Hagar. Yishmael had the greatest of parents, ones who converted anyone to righteousness, but how come they failed with Yishmael? Perhaps it shows that if the mother is not on board, and all the more so if she is even anti, then the child stands no chance and is not even to blame.

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